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Region to expand green bin program

» Another 40,000 residents to take part in diversion of organic materials as council increases budget

BY: VANESSA MOSS

Another 40,000 residents in Waterloo Region will soon be storing their cat litter, tea bags, and even candy under the sink until curbside pickup day as the region’s green bin organics collection program moves into phase three.
Regional council this week approved funding for two types of organic containers to be delivered to area households gradually until 2010.
Norseman Plastics Ltd. will receive $581,385 to supply 42,000 containers in 2008, $614,607 for 42,000 in 2009 and $823,487.50 for 53,000 in 2010. Busch Systems International Inc. will supply the same number of bins for $115,802.40 each in 2008 and 2009 and $146,131.60 in 2010.
Since the collection program is still in its pilot stages, two types of bins are being tested simultaneously, explained Kim Kidd Kitagawa, a regional waste management coordinator.
So far, the Norseman design has won out because the paper liners used to reduce odour and prevent leaks fit better inside.
The first stage of the organics initiative was implemented in October 2006 in 5,000 homes and an additional 5,000 were added with council approval in the spring of 2007. During that time, between an average of 18-22 metric tonnes of acceptable products have been collected each week, slightly over the amount waste management had predicted.
“[It] isn’t much, but it accumulates,” Kidd Kitagawa said.
This year, another 40,000 households will join the pilot – collection areas have yet to be set – followed by 40,000 more in 2009 and 50,000 in 2010 (Wilmot, Wellesley and Woolwich townships included).
Then, in 2011, schools, businesses, apartments and institutions will be considered, all of which will require different infrastructure.
Once the program is fully implemented, waste management predicts about 20,000 metric tonnes of organics will be collected annually, diverting considerable waste from the landfills, Kidd Kitagawa said.
“We’ve done a residential waste audit study and it showed about 40 per cent of an average resident’s garbage is made out of organics.”
While some of those materials can be composted in people’s backyards, the majority cannot: things like bones, fat, cat litter, etc.
Currently, the region sends its organics to Integrated Municipal Services (IMS) in Thorold, which composts the material and sells it to landscapers and developers.
The region’s waste management division plans to approach council in late December or early January 2009 with plans for constructing its own facility, either privately or as part of a public/private partnership.
“Council is definitely interested in having our own facility close to home,” Kidd Kitagawa said.
Although the program needs to be rolled-out in stages due to the high set-up costs – about $50 per household in the first stage – Kidd Kitagawa knows residents are eager to jump on board based on the almost daily requests she receives.
“I think residents get in the habit of doing it and certainly I’ve had lots of testimonials from residents saying that they love the program, that they’ve seen a real reduction of their garbage: at least half if not 75 per cent reduction in garbage that they set out.”